[Research progress on the genus Microlunatus].

Members of the genus Microlunatus exhibit many potential advantages in managing the environmental pollution caused by phosphorus. The genus was proposed by Nakamura and co-workers with the name Microlunatus phosphovorus as the type species in 1995. Up to date, the genus Microlunatus encompasses seven validly described species, which were isolated from various environments. Members of the genus Microlunatus share the following genus-specific characteristics, possessing LL-2, 6-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall peptidoglycan, MK-9(H4) as the predominant menaquinone and diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol as the phospholipid pattern. Based on the taxonomic results of two newly isolated strains of the genus Microlunatus and the related reference reports, this review summarizes the research advances of the genus Microlunatus, including the genus establishment, taxonomic characteristics, their distribution in the environments, as well as the application prospect in chemical and medical industry.